Cooking station and system with removable insert having multiple cooking modes

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a cooking station for cooking a food product are provided. In one embodiment, the cooking station includes a main body and an insert. The main body includes a vertically extending wall extending between a closed bottom end and a closable upper end with a lid. The main body is configured to extend longitudinally in a vertical orientation. The main body defines a lower insert opening and an upper insert opening, the main body including a slideable door moveable to close-off either the lower and upper insert openings. The insert is sized and configured to be removably positioned through either one of the lower insert opening and the upper insert opening, the first insert having heating element container structure configured to deliver heat to the food product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 17/020,331, filed Sep. 14, 2020, which is a continuation ofU.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/971,976, filed May 4, 2018,now U.S. Pat. No. 10,772,467, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/503,156, filed May 8, 2017, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to cooking stations and, morespecifically, the present invention relates to a cooking station with aremovable insert having various modes for cooking food.

BACKGROUND

Barbequing has become a popular and pervasive tradition in much of theworld. A barbeque grill is a device for cooking food by applying heatdirectly below a grill. There are several varieties of grills but mostfall into one of two categories, either gas fueled or charcoal. Gasfueled grills typically use propane or natural gas as a fuel source,with the gas flame either cooking the food directly or heating grillingelements which in turn radiate the heat necessary to cook the food.Smoking and simmering the food with heat over a long period is also adesired mode for cooking the food to provide a particular taste impartedto the food. As such, it would be advantageous to provide a singlecooking station that is able to barbeque food with various cooking modesso that the user can better select the outcome of the cooked food andobtain the unique flavors and textures imparted to food from thebarbequing process.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to various embodiments of a cookingstation and system for cooking a food product. In one embodiment, thepresent invention is directed to a cooking station having a main bodyand an insert. The main body includes a vertically extending wallextending between a closed bottom end and a pivotable lid at an upperend, the vertically extending wall extending laterally with a radialportion and a generally flat portion. The flat portion extends along afront side of the main body, the main body defining a first insertopening and a second insert opening therein. The first insert openingbeing positioned at a lower portion of the main body and the secondinsert opening being positioned above the first insert opening of themain body. The insert is sized to be removably positioned through eitherone of the first insert opening and the second insert opening, theinsert having heating element structure configured to deliver heat tothe food product.

In one embodiment, the heating element structure includes gas heatingelement structure for cooking the food product. In another embodiment,the heating element structure includes container structure sized andconfigured to hold a burnable material for cooking the food product. Ina further embodiment, the container structure of the insert includesopenings defined therein at an upper end portion of the containerstructure such that the container structure is configured to bepartially positioned through the first insert opening so that theopenings are exposed within the main body. In another embodiment, theinsert is positionable in the first insert opening in a first positionand a second position for cooking the food product, the insert, in thefirst position, being partially inserted within the first insert openingand, the insert, in the second position, being fully inserted within thefirst insert opening. In yet another embodiment, the main body includesa single slideable door moveable between the first insert opening andthe second insert opening, the slideable door configured to close-offone of the first and second insert openings.

In another embodiment, the main body includes a ledge sized to hold aremovable grill such that the grill is positionable above the secondinsert opening. In still another embodiment, cooking station furtherincludes one or more food suspension elements sized to extendhorizontally across an upper portion of the main body, the one or morefood suspension elements configured to suspend removeable hook elementsfor suspending the food product thereto. In another embodiment, the mainbody includes two wheels and a handle each positioned on a single sideof the main body, the handle positioned at an upper portion of the mainbody, the two wheels and the handle configured to facilitate manuallytilting the main body to facilitate portability of the main body.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, acooking station for cooking a food product is provided. The cookingstation includes a main body and an insert. The main body includes avertically extending wall extending between a closed bottom end and apivotable lid at an upper end, the main body configured to extendlongitudinally in a vertical orientation. The main body defines a firstinsert opening and a second insert opening therein, the first insertopening being positioned at a lower portion of the main body and thesecond insert opening being positioned at an intermediate portion of themain body. The insert is sized to be removably positioned through eitherone of the first insert opening and the second insert opening, theinsert having heating element structure configured to deliver heat tothe food product.

In another embodiment, the main body includes rails extendinghorizontally within the main body to correspond with the first insertopening and the second insert opening such that the insert is configuredto be manually moveable through one of the first and second insertopenings and along the rails corresponding therewith. In anotherembodiment, the main body includes one or more ledges positionedadjacent an inner surface of the main body and along an upper portion ofthe main body, the one or more ledges sized and configured to support agrill.

In another embodiment, the heating element structure includes gasheating element structure for cooking the food product. In anotherembodiment, the heating element structure includes container structuresized and configured to hold charcoal for cooking the food product. Instill another embodiment, the insert is positionable in the first insertopening in a first position and a second position for cooking the foodproduct, the insert, in the first position, being partially insertedwithin the first insert opening and, the insert, in the second position,being fully inserted within the first insert opening.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, acooking station system for cooking a food product is provided. Thecooking station system includes a main body and a first insert. The mainbody including a vertically extending wall extending between a closedbottom end and a closable upper end with a lid, the main body configuredto extend longitudinally in a vertical orientation. The main bodydefines a lower insert opening and an upper insert opening, the mainbody including a slideable door moveable to close-off either the lowerand upper insert opening. The first insert is sized and configured to beremovably positioned through either one of the lower insert opening andthe upper insert opening, the first insert having heating elementcontainer structure configured to deliver heat to the food product. Withthis arrangement, the first insert is positionable in the lower insertopening in a first position and a second position for cooking the foodproduct such that the first insert, in the first position, is partiallyinserted within the lower insert opening and such that the first insert,in the second position, is fully inserted within the lower insertopening.

In one embodiment, the heating element container structure of the insertincludes openings defined therein at an upper end portion of thecontainer structure such that, in the first position, the heatingelement container structure is configured to be partially positionedthrough the lower insert opening so that the openings are exposed withinthe main body. In another embodiment, upon the first insert beingpositioned in the lower insert opening in the first position, the firstinsert comprises a moveable brace to maintain the first insert at alevel position. In still another embodiment, the cooking station furtherincludes a second insert sized and configured to be removably positionedwithin the lower insert opening or the upper insert opening, the secondinsert having gas heating element structure configured for cooking thefood product.

In another embodiment, the main body includes two wheels and a handleeach positioned on a single side of the main body, the handle positionedat an upper portion of the main body, the two wheels and the handleconfigured to facilitate manually tilting the main body to facilitateportability of the main body. In another embodiment, the main bodyincludes a ledge sized to hold a removable grill such that the grill ispositionable above the second insert opening. In a further embodiment,the cooking station includes one or more food suspension elements sizedto extend horizontally across an upper portion of the main body, the oneor more food suspension elements configured to suspend removeable hookelements for suspending the food product thereto. In another embodiment,the main body includes rails extending horizontally within the main bodyto correspond with the lower insert opening and the upper insert openingsuch that the first insert is configured to be manually moveable throughone of the first and second insert openings and along the railscorresponding therewith.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, acooking station system for cooking a food product. The cooking stationincludes a main body and a pellet hopper. The main body extendslongitudinally in a vertical orientation with a vertically extendingwall, the main body including a closed bottom end and closable upper endwith a lid, the vertically extending wall extending laterally with aradial portion and a generally flat portion, the flat portion extendingalong a front side of the main body, the main body including multiplegrill racks disposed horizontally within the main body and exposablewith a pivoting door. The pellet hopper removably coupled to the mainbody, the pellet hopper configured to controllably feed pellets to aheating element within a lower portion of the main body, the pellethopper extending longitudinally in a vertical orientation adjacent themain body.

In one embodiment, the cooking station system further includes one ormore food suspension elements sized to extend horizontally across anupper portion of the main body, the one or more food suspension elementsconfigured to suspend removeable hook elements for suspending the foodproduct thereto. In another embodiment, the pellet hopper iscontrollable remotely. In another embodiment, the door includes a glasswindow for observation of the food product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparentupon reading the following detailed description and upon reference tothe drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking station, depicting an insertin an upper insert opening, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1A is a top view of the cooking station with a lid in an openposition, depicting food suspension elements sized to receive hooks forpositioning thereon, according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1B is a exploded top view of the cooking station with the lid inthe open position, depicting the cooking station sized to receive agrill, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking station with the insertremoved therefrom, depicting a slidable door incorporated with the upperinsert opening and a lower insert opening, according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an insert, depicting the insert having aremovable lid, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the cooking station, depicting the insert in anouter position, according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the insert positioned relative torails, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the cooking station, depicting the insert in aninner position, according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged rear view of the cooking station, depicting ahinge member coupled to a lid and main body of the cooking station and ahandle associated with the hinge member, according to another embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cooking station, depicting a secondinsert with a gas burner, according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second insert with the gas burner,according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a front view of another embodiment of a cooking stationintegrated with a pellet hopper, according to another embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, a cooking station 10 with multiple insertopenings is provided. The cooking station 10 of the present inventionmay be sized and configured to facilitate various modalities for cookinga food product. In one embodiment, the cooking station 10 may include amain body 12 having an upright extending side wall 14 that may extendbetween a closed bottom end 16 and a pivotable lid 20 at an upper end18. Such upright extending side wall 14 may define a lower insertopening 22 and an upper insert opening 24, each of which may receive aninsert 26. The insert 26 may be removably positioned through either oneof the lower insert opening 22 and the upper insert opening 24. Withthis arrangement, the insert may include heating element structure 28configured to deliver heat to the food product.

The main body may include a longitudinal length 30 and extend along anddefine a longitudinal axis 32 of the main body 12. In the use positionof the cooking station 10, the main body 12 may extend longitudinally soas to be employed in an upright or vertical orientation. The uprightextending side wall 14 of the main body 12 may define a front wall 34, arear wall 36, a first wall 38 and a second wall 40. The front wall 34may extend in a generally flat manner and the rear wall 36 may extendlaterally relative to the longitudinal axis 32 in a radial manner orwith a radial component. The first and second walls 38, 40 may opposeeach other and extend generally flat in a parallel manner. The main body12 may also include a bottom wall 42 at the bottom end 16 of the mainbody 12, the bottom wall 42 defining a periphery that corresponds withthe upright extending side wall 14. The main body 12 may also includewheels 44, such as two caster wheels, and/or legs 46, such as two legs,both of which may facilitate portability and stability of the cookingstation. In one embodiment, the wheels 44 may extend between and alongan axil or wheel axis adjacent the bottom end 16 at the rear of the mainbody 12 with the legs 46 extending from the bottom end 16 at the frontof the main body 12. Further, the main body 12 may include a rear handle48 at its rear-upper end to assist tilting the cooking station 10 to anangle 50 such that the cooking station 10 may be readily moveable toalternate locations, thereby, further facilitating portability of thecooking station 10. Further, at a lower end portion of the main body 12,the main body 12 may define a slot 52 for holding a grease tray 54 forcollecting byproduct from cooking the food product. Such grease tray 54may be linearly pulled and slid out from the slot 52 to clean, forexample, subsequent to cooking the food product and then placed backwithin the slot 52.

The upper end 18 of the main body 12 may include the lid 20. In oneembodiment, the lid 20 may pivot to move the lid 20 to closed and openpositions over an upper portion of the upright extending side wall 14.Such lid 20 may include a front handle 59 for opening and closing thelid 20 relative to the main body 12. Further, the lid 20 may be securedto the main body 12 with a latch 56. The lid 20 may also include atemperature gauge 58.

With respect to FIG. 1A, in one embodiment, the cooking station 10 mayinclude one or more food suspension elements 76 positioned at, forexample, an upper portion of the upright side wall 14 of the main body12. Such food suspension elements 76 may include rods 62 and/or hooks64. The rods 62 may be suspended on a ledge or u-shaped members 66 thatmay be coupled to an inner surface 68 of the upright side wall 14. Inthis manner, the u-shaped members 66 may be oriented so that the rods 62may be positioned over and suspended at the upper portion of the mainbody 12 with a portion of the u-shaped members 66 preventing lateralmovement from the u-shaped members 66. The hooks 64 may be s-shapedhooks that each may include an upper hook portion 70 and a lower hookportion 72. The upper hook portion 70 may be positioned over the rods62, as indicated by dashed line 74, such that the lower hook portion 72may be employed for coupling and suspending food product thereto andwithin the main body 12. Upon cooking the food product, the rods 62 maybe readily lifted from the u-shaped members 66 and removed from thehooks 64.

With respect to FIG. 1B, another embodiment of a food suspension element76 for the cooking station 10 is provided. In this embodiment, the foodsuspension element 76 may be a grill 80. The grill 80 may be suspendedwithin the upper portion of the main body 12 with an upper edge 78 ofthe u-shaped members 66. Further, the grill 80 may be positioned onadditional ledges in the form of tabs 82, the tabs 82 being positionedagainst the inner surface 68 of the main body 12 at about the samehorizontal plane or level as the upper edge 78 of the u-shaped members66. In this manner, the grill 80 may be readily removed or positioned,as indicated by dashed lines 84, over the u-shaped members 66 and tabs82 within the upper portion of the main body 12 to suspend and cook thefood product thereon.

Now with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , as previously set forth, the frontwall 34 of the main body 12 may define the lower and upper insertopenings 22, 24 (or otherwise referenced as first and second insertopenings, respectively) of the cooking station 10. Such lower and upperinsert openings 22, 24 may each include a set of rails 86 or a railsystem, discussed in further detail herein, that extend within the mainbody 12 and correspond with the lower and upper insert openings 22, 24.Further, the lower insert opening 22 may be substantially similar to theupper insert opening 24 such that the insert 26 may be sized andconfigured to be inserted in either the lower or upper insert openings22, 24. In one embodiment, the main body 12 may include a slidable door90 sized to be linearly moveable, as indicated by arrow 92, to theopposite one of the lower and upper insert openings 22, 24 holding theinsert 26. Such slidable door 90 may be linearly moveable in a directionparallel with the longitudinal axis 32, for example, between a lowerposition, as depicted in FIG. 1 , and an upper position, as depicted inFIG. 2 , by lifting up or pushing down on a door tab 88 directly coupledto and extending from the slidable door 90. In the lower position, thedoor tab 88 of the slideable door 90 may be exposed within a notch 94defined in the front wall 34. Such slideable door 90 may be larger thanthe lower insert opening 22 and the upper insert opening 24. Further,the slideable door 90 may slide along an inner surface of the front wall34 within, for example, a track or slot defined along the inner surfaceand may include structure, such as ribs or the like, for maintaining theslideable door 90 to the upper position with, for example, aninterference fit.

Now with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the insert 26 may be sized andconfigured to be moveable within the exposed one of the lower and upperinsert openings 22, 24. The insert 26 may also be referenced as a firstinsert. In one embodiment, the insert 26 may include a tray or drawerlike structure. In another embodiment, as previously set forth, theinsert 26 may include heating element structure 28 configured to deliverheat to a food product. For example, the heating element structure 28 ofthe insert 26 may define container structure 100 sized and configured tohold charcoal or other burnable element that may be ignited to burn anddeliver heat to the food product. The container structure 100 mayinclude a face wall 96, opposing side walls 98, a back wall 102, and abottom wall 104. Further, the container structure 100 may include aremovable lid 106. The face wall 96 may include one or more handles 108and may include an adjustable door 110. The adjustable door 110 may beadjusted to define an air inlet within the face wall 96 such that theadjustable door 110 may be moved between a closed position to varioussized open positions in a linearly slideable manner, as indicated bybi-linear arrow 112. The side walls 98 may include tabs 114 positioned apredetermined height from the bottom wall 104 and extend inward from theopposing side walls 98, the tabs 114 sized and configured to suspend acharcoal grate 116 between the side walls 98. Such charcoal grate 116may also be pivotably coupled at pivot points 118 on opposing endportions of the side walls 98. The container structure 100 may alsoinclude through holes 120 defined in an upper end portion 124 of thecontainer structure 100. For example, such through holes 120 may bedefined in the back wall 102 and the lid 106 and a larger through holeor gap 122 defined between the back wall 102 and the lid 106, upon thelid 106 being positioned on the side walls 98 and back wall 102 of thecontainer structure 100. Such through holes 120 may be positioned, sizedand configured to deliver smoke from the container structure 100 andupward toward the food product. With this arrangement, the adjustabledoor 110 may be adjusted to a height to provide a desired air flow underthe charcoal grate 116 and to charcoal in the container structure 100.Upon charcoal completing its burn, the insert 26 may be withdrawn from,for example, the lower insert opening 22, the lid 106 may be removed tothen turn upside-down the insert 26 discard the charcoal residue and, ifneeded, the charcoal grate 116 may pivot outward to facilitate residuebeing discarded from below the charcoal grate 116.

With reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 6 , the insert 26 may include multipleuse positions within the lower insert opening 22 of the cooking station10, such as a first position (FIG. 4 ) and a second position (FIG. 6 ).For example, for a slow smoker cook of the food product, the insert 26may be positioned in a first position or partially inserted positionwithin the lower insert opening, as depicted in FIG. 4 . In the firstposition, an end portion 128 of the insert 26 may be disposed within themain body 12 so that the upper end portion 124 defining the throughholes in the lid 106 and back wall 102 of the container structure 100may deliver smoke to the food product. Further, in the first position,the container structure 100 may include a brace 126 or leg (see also,FIG. 5 ). In one embodiment, the brace 126 may be pivotably coupled tothe bottom wall 104 such that the brace 126 is moveable from beingdisposed adjacent the bottom wall 104 to a use position, as indicated byarrow 130. The use position of the brace 126 may extend generallyorthogonal relative to the bottom wall 104 of the container structure100. In another embodiment, the insert 26 may be partially inserted, asdepicted in FIG. 4 , as well as various partially inserted positionsthat may be further inserted, but also partially inserted positions intothe main body 12. In each of the partially inserted positions, it ispreferred that the container structure 100 include the lid 106 thereon.

With respect to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5 , the rails 86 may be suspended and/orsecured to structure coupled to the inner surface of the main body 12.Such rails 86 may extend horizontally from and adjacent to a lower edgeof each of the lower insert opening 22 and upper insert opening 24.Further, the rails 86 may be sized and configured to correspond withpegs 132 or legs or other stopping structure defined in an undersidesurface 134 of the bottom wall 102. For simplicity purposes, the rails86 and a bottom side of the insert 26 are shown without the side wall 14of the main body 12 in FIG. 5 . As depicted, in one embodiment, therails 86 may be disposed between opposing pegs 132 such that the insert26 may be linearly slidable along the rails 86. Further, a bent portion136 in the rails 86 may be employed to provide a hard stop for theinsert 26 relative to the rails 86. This hard stop may be employed forthe user to readily ascertain the first position of the insert 26, asdepicted in FIG. 4 . Upon removing the insert 26 from the lower insertopening 22, the user may slightly lift the insert 26 upward so that thepegs 132 gain clearance above the bent portion 136 of the rails 86.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 6 , the insert 26 may be moved to thesecond position within the lower insert opening 22 of the main body 12of the cooking station 10. In the second position, the insert 26 may befully inserted within the lower insert opening 22. In the secondposition, the insert may (or may not) include its lid 106 positionedover the insert 26. For example, including the lid 106 may provide aslower cook and disperse smoke from the through holes. In anotherembodiment, as desired by the user, the insert 26 may be placed in thesecond position within the lower insert opening 22 without the lid 106,which would fully expose the hot coals below the food product toincrease the temperature in the cooking station 10 making for a fastercook of the food product.

With respect to FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 , in another embodiment, the insert 26may be positioned in the upper insert opening 24 with the slideable door90 moved to close-off the lower insert opening 22. Similar to the insert26 being positioned in the lower insert opening 22, the insert 26 may bepositioned with or without the lid 106 of the insert 26 in the upperinsert opening 24. In this manner, the insert 26 may be employed invarious positions of the cooking station 10 to provide various levels ofheating and/or smoking of the food product as well as being able tocontrol the amount of air accessing the coals of the charcoal via theadjustable door 110 disposed on the insert 26 to, thereby, control theheat and/or smoke to the food product.

Now with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7 , in another embodiment, the lid 20of the cooking station 10 may be pivotable with a hinge member 140. Thehinge member 140 may include a first hinge portion 138 and a secondhinge portion 142. The first hinge portion 138 may be coupled to anupper end portion 144 of the rear wall 36 and the second hinge portion142 may be coupled to a back side 146 of the lid 20, the first and thesecond hinge portions 138, 142 coupled together at a hinge axis 150. Inone embodiment, the hinge member 140 may include the rear handle 48 thatmay be fixed thereto. In another embodiment, the hinge member 140 mayinclude the rear handle 48 in a u-shaped configuration with bent ends148 and held within the hinge axis 150. In another embodiment, the bentends 148 of the u-shaped handle may be employed as pins coupling thehinge member 140 together and facilitating the lid 20 to pivot. Inanother embodiment, the rear handle 48 may be fixed (in a non-pivotablemanner) to the hinge member 140. In another embodiment, the rear handle48 may be pivotable about the hinge axis 150. With this arrangement, therear handle 48 may be employed with the two rear wheels 44 of thecooking station 10 to gain leverage for tilting the cooking station 10at the previously described angle 50 to, thereby, facilitate readyportability of the cooking station 10. Upon tilting the cooking station,it is preferred to secure the pivotable lid 20 to the main body 12 withthe latch 56.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 , in another embodiment, the cookingstation 10 may include a second insert 150 (or an additional accessoryinsert) that may include heating element structure 152 therewith. Inthis embodiment, the heating element structure 152 may include gasheating element structure. For example, the second insert 150 mayinclude a face wall 154, a bottom wall 156, and opposing side walls 158to define a tray like structure or container like structure. Such traylike structure may be employed for catching grease as well as coupling asupport structure 162 for a burner tube 160. The burner tube 160 mayinclude various configurations, such as an H-shaped configuration or anyother suitable configuration, such as a circular configuration. Theburner tube 160 may be made of stainless steel and include holes 164 fordispersing gas therefrom. The face wall 154 may include guard structure167, handles 166 and a burner knob 168, the burner knob 168 coupled to avalve 170 disposed within the guard structure 167 such that turning theburner knobs 168 may adjust the valve 170 to adjust the amount of gasbeing fed through the burner tube 160. The valve 170 also may be coupledto a hose 172 and a gas regulator 174 for coupling to a gas source (notshown), such as a propane tank or natural gas source. The second insert150 may include other structure for operating a gas burner, such as anignitor switch (not shown) or the like, or any other structure as knownto one of ordinary skill in the art. The second insert 150 may beremovably positioned in the lower insert opening 22 or the upper insertopening 24 defined in the side wall 14 of the main body 12, similar tothe insert of the previous embodiment, depending upon the heat leveldesired for cooking the food product. As previously set forth, theslideable door 90 may be moved to the lower or upper insert openings 22,24 to the opposite position of the selected second insert 150. Further,similar to the previous embodiment, the second insert 150 may includepegs (not shown) along an underside of the bottom wall 156 to assist insliding the second insert 150 along the rails 86 (FIGS. 2 and 5 )associated with the lower and upper insert openings 22, 24. With thisarrangement, the user of the cooking station 10 may select variousmodalities for cooking a food product, heating with gas heat with thesecond insert 150 or heating and/or smoking the food product with theinsert 26 (FIG. 1 ), as well as the user may select various positionsfor positioning the selected first or second inserts 26, 150 within themain body 12 to control the heat held within the cooking station to slowor speed-up the cooking process.

Now with reference to FIG. 10 , another embodiment for a cooking station200 is provided. In this embodiment, the cooking station 200 may includea pellet hopper 202 coupled therewith. The cooking station 200 mayextend longitudinally so as to be oriented longitudinally in a verticalmanner or orientation, similar to the cooking station of the previousembodiment. The pellet hopper 202 may also extend longitudinally so asto be oriented longitudinally in a vertical manner. Further, the cookingstation 200 may include a main body 204 defining an upright side wall206 with a closed bottom end 208 and a pivotable lid 210, similar to theprevious embodiment. Further, the upright wall 206 may extend laterallywith a radial portion and a generally flat portion, the flat portionextending along a front side of the main body 204, similar to thatdescribed and depicted for the main body of previous embodiments. Thecooking station 200 of this embodiment may include a door 212 that maybe pivotably opened to expose multiple grill racks (not shown)positioned horizontally within the main body 204 of the cooking station200 and spaced vertically at different heights within the main body 204.For example, the lid 210 may be pivoted open to expose a top grill rack(not shown), similar to the grill 80 in the embodiment set forth in FIG.1A. Further, similar to that depicted in FIG. 1A, the lid 210 may bepivoted open to expose the food suspension elements 76, such as the rods62 and the hooks 64. Each of such grill racks or food suspensionelements 76 (see FIG. 1A) may be employed for positioning food thereon.In another embodiment, the door 212 of the cooking station 200 may bemade of a transparent material, such as glass, configured to withstandhigh temperatures so that a user may view and observe the food producton the racks without opening the door 212 of the cooking station 200.

The pellet hopper 202 may include an auger (not shown) for controllablyfeeding pellets that may be heated to deliver heat and/or smoke to thefood product within the cooking station 200. Such pellet hopper 202 mayinclude typical pellet hopper structure, as known to one of ordinaryskill in the art, for heating, smoking, and flavoring food product. Suchpellet hopper 202 may include a control panel 214 operatively coupled toa control system and temperature sensors (not shown) within the mainbody 204 to control the temperature of the cooking station 200 with theamount of pellets being fed to a heating element (not shown) of thecooking station 200. In this manner, a user may control the temperatureand the time period for cooking food product with the pellet hopper 202.Further, such temperature settings or other input options of the pellethopper 202 may be controlled remotely through, for example, blue toothand Wi-Fi technology or the like via application software downloadableto a user's smart phone, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.In another embodiment, the pellet hopper 202 may be integrated with thecooking station 10 of the previous embodiment (e.g., FIG. 1 ) through,for example, a third insert opening, that may be defined in the first orsecond side walls 38, 40 of the main body 12 of the cooking station 10.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and have been described in detail herein.Further, the structural features of any one embodiment disclosed hereinmay be combined or replaced by any one of the structural features ofanother embodiment set forth herein. However, it should be understoodthat the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular formsdisclosed. Rather, the invention includes all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the following appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking station for cooking a food product,comprising: a main body having a vertically extending wall extendingbetween a closed bottom end and a pivotable lid at an upper end, thevertically extending wall extending to at least partially define acooking chamber within the main body and extending laterally to define agenerally flat portion along a front side of the main body, the flatportion of the main body defining a first opening and a second openingtherein, the first opening being positioned at a lower portion of themain body and the second opening being positioned above the firstopening of the main body, the flat portion of the vertically extendingwall defining a notch therein, the notch positioned between the firstand second openings, the main body including a door with a door tab, thedoor tab extending outward from the door, the door vertically movablealong and behind the vertically extending wall of the main body toclose-off either the first opening or the second opening such that thedoor tab is vertically moveable adjacent the notch defined in thevertically extending wall; and a container sized to be removablypositioned within either one of the first opening and the second openingsuch that, upon the container being positioned in the first opening, thedoor is vertically slidable to be positioned to close-off the secondopening and, upon the container being positioned in the second opening,the door is vertically slidable to be positioned to close-off the firstopening, the container having heating element structure therewith andconfigured to deliver heat to a food product positioned in the cookingchamber.
 2. The cooking station of claim 1, wherein the heating elementstructure comprises gas heating element structure for cooking the foodproduct.
 3. The cooking station of claim 1, wherein the heating elementstructure comprises container structure sized and configured to holdburnable elements for cooking the food product.
 4. The cooking stationof claim 1, wherein the container is positionable in the first openingin a first position and a second position for cooking the food product,the container, in the first position, being partially inserted withinthe first opening and, the container, in the second position, beingfully inserted within the first opening.
 5. The cooking station of claim1, wherein the main body comprises a ledge sized to hold a removablegrill such that the grill is positionable above the second opening. 6.The cooking station of claim 1, further comprising one or more foodsuspension elements sized to extend horizontally across an upper portionof the main body, the one or more food suspension elements configured tosuspend removeable hook elements for suspending the food productthereto.
 7. The cooking station of claim 1, wherein the main bodycomprises two wheels and a handle each positioned on a single side ofthe main body, the handle positioned at an upper portion of the mainbody, the two wheels and the handle configured to facilitate manuallytilting the main body to facilitate portability of the main body.
 8. Thecooking station of claim 1, wherein the door is independently moveablerelative to the container such that the door is a separate structurerelative to the container.
 9. The cooking station of claim 1, whereinthe vertically extending wall extends laterally with a radial component.10. A cooking station system for cooking a food product, comprising: amain body having a vertically extending wall extending between a closedbottom end and an upper end with a lid, the vertically extending wallextending laterally to define a generally flat portion along a frontside of the main body, the main body including a lower opening and anupper opening each defined in the generally flat portion of thevertically extending wall, the generally flat portion of the verticallyextending wall defining a notch therein, the notch positioned betweenthe lower and upper openings, the main body including a moveable doorwith a door tab, the door tab extending outward from the moveable door,the door moveable adjacent the vertically extending wall to close-offeither the lower and upper opening such that the door tab is moveablethrough the notch defined in the vertically extending wall; and a firstinsert sized and configured to be removably positioned within either oneof the lower opening and the upper opening such that, upon the firstinsert being positioned in the lower opening, the moveable door ispositioned to close-off the upper opening and, upon the first insertbeing positioned in the upper opening, the moveable door is positionableto close-off the lower opening, the first insert having heating elementcontainer structure configured to deliver heat to the food product. 11.The cooking station system of claim 10, wherein the first insert ispositionable in the lower opening in a first position and a secondposition for cooking the food product such that the first insert, in thefirst position, is partially inserted within the lower opening and suchthat the first insert, in the second position, is fully inserted withinthe lower opening.
 12. The cooking station system of claim 10, furthercomprising a second insert sized and configured to be removablypositioned within the lower opening or the upper opening, the secondinsert having gas heating element structure configured to cook the foodproduct.
 13. The cooking station system of claim 10, wherein the mainbody comprises two wheels and a handle each positioned on a single sideof the main body, the handle positioned at an upper portion of the mainbody, the two wheels and the handle configured to facilitate manuallytilting the main body to facilitate portability of the main body. 14.The cooking station system of claim 10, wherein the main body comprisesa ledge sized to hold a removable grill such that the grill ispositionable above the second opening.
 15. The cooking station system ofclaim 10, further comprising one or more food suspension elements sizedto extend horizontally across an upper portion of the main body, the oneor more food suspension elements configured to suspend removeable hookelements for suspending the food product thereto.
 16. The cookingstation system of claim 10, wherein the main body includes railsextending horizontally within the main body to correspond with the loweropening and the upper opening such that the first insert is configuredto be manually moveable through one of the first and second openings andalong the rails corresponding therewith.
 17. The cooking station systemof claim 10, wherein the door is independently moveable relative to thefirst insert such that the door is a separate structure relative to thefirst insert.
 18. The cooking station system of claim 10, wherein thefirst insert comprises a removable lid positionable over an upper sideof the first insert.
 19. The cooking station system of claim 10, whereinthe vertically extending wall extends laterally with a radial component.20. A cooking station system for cooking a food product, comprising: amain body having a vertically extending wall extending between a closedbottom end and an upper end with a lid, the vertically extending wallincluding a lower opening and an upper opening each defined in a frontside of the vertically extending wall of the main body, the verticallyextending wall defining a notch therein, the notch positioned betweenthe lower and upper openings, the main body including a moveable doorwith a door tab, the door tab extending outward from the moveable door,the moveable door positionable behind the vertically extending wall toclose-off either one of the lower and upper openings such that the doortab is moveable adjacent to the notch defined in the verticallyextending wall; and a container sized and configured to be removablypositioned within either one of the lower opening and the upper openingsuch that, upon the container being positioned in the lower opening, themoveable door is positionable to close-off the upper opening and, uponthe container being positioned in the upper opening, the moveable dooris positionable to close-off the lower opening, the container havingheating element container structure configured to deliver heat to thefood product.
 21. The cooking station system of claim 20, furthercomprising a second container sized and configured to be removablypositioned within the lower opening or the upper opening, the secondcontainer having gas heating element structure configured to cook thefood product.
 22. The cooking station system of claim 20, wherein thedoor is independently moveable relative to the container such that thedoor is a separate structure relative to the container.